I was fortunate to live in the same century as Mario Lanza who sang "With a song in my heart", written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers. Part of the song goes,
But I always knew
I would live life through
with a song in my heart for you
the words in my ears
will resound for the rest of my years.
It struck me recently that we live our lives with songs in our hearts, and these songs get us through tough times. They inspire and lift us up.
In Mama Mia, the Pierce Brosnan and Marel Streep musical, I counted 18 Abba songs that have touched my heart and my life variously as the years went by. For example, in "I have a Dream" we hear:
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
And the inspiration goes on:
Something good in everything I see
I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
There were years of struggle to make ends meet, at least in my life:
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In a rich man's world
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
There are songs in our lives to take us through the heart aches:
Chiquitita
You and I cry
But the sun is still in the sky
And shining above you
Let me hear you sing once more
Like you did before
Sing a new song
Chiquitita
There are moments in the spotlight:
Super Trouper lights are gonna find me
Shining like the sun
Smiling, having fun
Feeling like a number one
But I won't feel blue
'Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you.
There are years as children leave home - it all goes so fast:
Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye
With an absent-minded smile
I watch her go
With a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl
And it's all:
Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
I let precious time go by
But memories console us:
I can still recall
Our last summer
I still see it all
Memories that remain
When all is said and done, our lives have been so blessed with the songs that fill our hearts that we can say:
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty?
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me
May your year unfold with joy as you follow your dreams and sing your songs. May you pause enough to enjoy this precious ever something we call life. The realization of it can bring you to your knees.
